Secondary battery.



' G. J. JOHNSON.

A SECONDARY BATTERY. Y APPLICATION FILED AG. 28, 1911. 1,029,015 Patented June 11,1912.

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G. J'. JOHNSON. SBGONDARY'BATTERY. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 28, 1911.

Patented June 11,1912

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GUS'IAVUS J. JOHNSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO E. C.. TOURTEIIOT, l0]? CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. l

sncounanr BATTERY.

asesora.

Specification of Letters Patent. y Paten'gd Jun@ 11, 1912, Application led August 28, 1911. Serial No. $46,443.

To all whom it may concern.'

Bc it known that I, GUs'rAvUs J. Jonsson, a citizen ot the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Coolrand State ot Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Secondary Batteries, of which the following is aspecification, reference-being had therein to Athe accompanying drawing. v v

'Ihis inventiony relates in general to` the type of seconda-ry battery disclosed. 1n my Patent No. 969,876 dated Sept. 13, 1910 to which reference may be .had for the .general construct-ion of the' assembled elements; 'the present invention, however, contemplates a battery of larger type designed for heavier work and meeting higher Vetlciency to that end, and in which the porous plates are preterably sectional.

My present invention comprises certain novel and nnprox'red teatures'of construction of the plates; means to hold the plates in position to prevent slippage; means to provide elasticity of 'elements to insure a con;

etant reliable and uniform vContact .ot thev porous plates with their conductor r sheets, andto other features vwhi ch will be apparent from the disclosure herein. y

It is a well known tact to scientists skilled in batteryy practice that the general deficiency of all secondarybattcries, both of the Plante and Faure types, is in a large measure due tothe shedding el' theactive material owing to contraction and expansion incident to charges and discharges of the elements and that such shedding of the active material leaves a portion .of their'remaining' material Without contact with its supporting grid or rib by reason ot' which defect such batteries constantly'deteriorate eventually inyvolving their ultimate destruction. In the type @f battery with which this invention deals a large por-tion of the activo material is chamberedv in the recesses ot the porous plates, and to prevent possible. shedding ot such active material asexists between the chambered strata and the conductor sheet I provide a porous plate with the outside impervious rib slightly raised or extended above thechambered strata. The purpose ot this construction is Anot to form an envelop, as the said raised=-rib must under no` circumstances behigli .enough to .come in contact with the associated conductor sheet but leave a spans for the passage of fthe cur-rent .and the free circulation of electrolyte direct to 'the active material between its impervious edge and the conductor sheet.

In order to promote conductance and further decrease internal resistance I provide 'the chambers or cavities in the present invention simply to assist in the initial action of the current during charge and discharge and thus to facilitate .the working of the vbattery at relatively higher normal charge and discharge-rates than could otherwise be done safely. In the practice of C. II. Clare Patent No. 894,602 open channels are made vthrough the element to provide `general circulation and equilibration of the electrolyte in a battery containing insulating plates previously .covered by Clares Patent No. 717,351. The holes or cavities in the porous plates described in my invention-serve no such purpose, ybeing simply small openings through which a small or minute portion of the active material of that individual cavity is exposed to the electrolyte for direct action. Circulation of electrolyte in my invention will be amply taken care otby capillary action through the vertical channels caused by the temperature risc incidental to charge or discharge. I hereby vdisclaim all matter contained in the claims of these Patents Nos. 894,609. and 717,351 as being immaterial to my invention.

To maintain the plates in their original intended position with relationV to their conductor sheets I provide suitable hard rubber keys which cooperate. with the plates in any suitable manner for this purpose, and preferably as herein disclosed.

By reason of the porosity of the plat-es in a Hatch type of battery all the oXids become immediately active. after their formation, yet in previous methods of construction it has been found impossible to fully utilize all oiA the stored .energy contained .therein owing` to loss ot' contact between the lead peroxide in :the positive plates and their Aconductor sheets. The imperative necessity tor 60 a small cavity or hole extending through the '-sueh contact was fully recognizedby the ',.original experiinenters with batteries' constructed on the Hatch principle although.

they all failed to find suitable'means technically and commercially feasible for the purpose. It will be noted that the practice under Hatch Patent No. 585,473 was coniined'to the use 'of elastic rubber bands with which to hold the assembled elements together.' .'It is well known to those skilled in battery practice that soft vulcanized rubber While at tension in the sulfuric acid electrolyte retains its elasticity vonly for a short time and so his practice failed. Later experimenters, such as those under the Clare Patents Nos. 650,808 'and 717,351, after rein immovable position by the nonelastic lead-antimony bands placed around the elements and tightened with suitable wedging 1 blocks impervious to the electrolyte and placed between said bands and the outer side of 'the end-supporting plates. The eX- pansion of the active material in the formation 'process of any successfully working secondary battery will be found to be as high as 40%, f its original volume. This phenomenon accounts for the continuous growth or elongation in the Plante type of positive plates, and for the breaking-asunder ofthe supporting grid in the Faure type of plate, whenever the active material in such plate is held laterally closely confined between separators. In my improved type of battery with the `active material largely chambered within a rigidnonductile support, and withv all plates laterally disposed it is obvious that all expansion will take the path of least resistance and move laterally toward the end supporting plates, where the compression of the elastic cushions Willprovide the space needed. It will of course be necessary to varythc thickness of such cushions in the same measure that plates are added or removed to -make a larger or smaller element.y

'The means for embodying `and utilizing' the principle' of elasticity as herein deiscribed I claim broadly, as this principle hasv never heretofore been successfully applied by anyone to lateral expansion within a'secondary battery.

In the accompanying drawings F igure 1 is a perspective view showing the assemkeys in position to bled elements, tho u sual containing jary and insulated bearings for the element being omittedfor purposes of clearer' illustration; Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in cross sec- `Fig. -l to maintain the plates against transverse movement or slippage With relation to their position against their conductor sheets; Fig.` 4 is an enlarged side 'View of a vulcanite band-wedging block having lugs. at top and bottom to straddle the bands; Fig. 5 is an enlarged front'view of such wedging block; Fig. 6 .is a view of the -chambered sidev of six assembled porous plates comprising one side of an electrode or compound plate, andA Fig, 7 is a view 0f the outer or reverse side of the same with prevent their. transverse displacement. i In the drawings the complete element is composed of the lporous permeable di-elcctric plates numbered 10 to 33 inclusive arranged substantially as shown, with metallic electrodes or conductor strips B, preferably in the form of lead antimony sheets between them and extending to the element terminals; certain of the plates are ofA like 0- lai-ity, as positive, and lead to the positive terminal B+.; and others are of like but opposite polarity, as negative, and lead to the negative terminal B, and certain pairs of plates constitute compound plates, all as set forth in my prior Patent No. 969,876.A The porous plates and electrodes are assembled with end-supporting plates C, preferably of glass, thoughI do not limit myself to lsuch material as any rigid substance impervious to the electrolyte may be used.

`The assembled elements are bound together in place by metallic binders c in the form f of lead antimony bands placed around the parts and tightened by suitable'wedges D having upper and lower lugs -or lips d straddling the bands. The glasspplates are provided with tapering chamfers e on their outer corners for supporting and wedging the bands.

In the present invention the porous plates are sectional, each being composed of a plurality, -here siX, of sections or plates A which have active material E or material intended to be active upon their inner faces or surfaces, being providedzwith suitable pockets or receptacles for that purpose, as by crossed ridges a forming a cellular surface thereon, and each cell is provided with 'a hole or cavity a to promote conductance, assist in the initial action ofthe current and decrease 'readers the interna-l resistanceas above stated. The electrodes are of course in close contact With the face of the active material. Theouter faces or surfaces of the :porous Aplates' are provided with ribs a2 running lengthwise thereof and providing a'butments 'for the plates, the abutments on adjacent plates of unlike polarity forming channels for the free circulation of the electrolyte contained in the usual jar or receptacle (not shown). The electrodes or conductinw' plates B are of equal Width or transverse oss-section to tlie assembled porous plates as shown-clearly in Fig. l incontra-distinction to practice under my PatentNo. 969,876; it is of course understood that the number of voltaic couples or plates may be varied, as also Will be the associated electrodes.

In the batteries constructed in accordance with my previous patent the exposed or outside edge of eachporous plate is made i1npervious to the electrolyte and active material and is made non-conducting to the electric current by any suitable agency such as therein described, and these edges are also chamfered or beveled from the reverse side forward for the purpose therein stated. In the present invention the outside or exposed edges of the porous plates are similarly preY lpared and treated, `the chamfer -or bevel being shown at a3, and in order to prevent the shedding of active l'material above the chambered strata I provide a rib a* which raised slightly above the ridges a of the chambered strata comprising the available surface area for holding active materialbut not high enough to form an envelop lor to comel in contact With `the associated conductor,

current and the accessof xthe electrolyte be.-

tn'een the rib and sheet, all as will be ap-J parent from Fig. 2. i

To maintain the .plates in ltheir prede termined ppsition with relation to their conductor she'ts I provide keys F of suitable hard rubb'elr'and adapted to fit the Ichannel between an, opposite pair of adjacent ribs a2 upon the outer sides of any two adjacent plates as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 7, these keys being provided With suitable heads f .holding them against longitudinal displacement in the channels. Each key interlocks with the opposed sections of a pair of plates and prevent the plates or their constituent sections from moving upon each other lat- .erally With relation to their conductor sheets. K

interposed between each outer conductor sheet and the end-supporting plate onV each end ofthe element isl an elastic di-electric.

cushion, preferably in the form of a con pressible elastic vulcanite sheet or'plate each cushion being originally of the sam approximate area as that of th'e conductor sheet orv assembled porous plates, but the eav-i'ng a space for the passage of1 the;

:same lmay lay-'reason of compression exerted by the elementfidnring formation or while under-discharge become slightly larger than the associated end conductor vsheet as clearly shown in Fig. 1. These cushions are held in place by pressure and rigidity of the bands c and ltheir Wedging blocks exerted upon the end supporting plates, and the said cushions take care of and' ctnnpensate at`all tiuies for the constant movement of the component parts of the assembled element whether the samebe expanding or contracting, by providing the necessary elasticity for compression and obviate the most serious fault or inability heretofore inherent in batteries of the- Hatch principle or type. The use or application of these cushions is an advantage in all battery elements of the Faure or Brush types preventing the active material from shedding by holding :the separators 'firmly to the plates during charges as Well as discharges. The use or application -of metallic bands is not neces sary to battery elements, as the compressible cushions may be safely placed between the outerseparator and the sides of the cony taining jars adjacent theretorany suitable or feasible manner of application will also prevent breakage of the grids and buckling of the plates in Faure or Brush types of batteri-es.

The present description discloses the principles of my invention in connection VWith apparatus representing a practical embodiment of its several features, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and that the invention Vmay be exemplified in other Ways.

I claim z- 1. A non-metallic, electrically non-conducting plate for supporting active material in anI electric battery, said plate having its body permeable `to the electrolyte and pro'- vided With perforated chambers for the re-` ception and retention of said active material. and to the electrolyte.

2. A non-conducting plate for supporting active material in contact with the conductor of the electrodes of an electric battery, said'plate having its body permeable to the electrolyte and provided With chambers for the reception and retention of said' active material, and having its outer edge extended above the chambered strata of the active material. 3. A non-conducting plate for supporting active material in contact 'with the conductor of the electrodes of an electric battery, said plate having its bodypermeable to the electrolyte and provided With chambers for the reception and retention of said activel material, and having its outer edge beveled and extended above the chambered strata of the active material.

11o, having its outer edge impervious.

4. A non-conductingr plate for supporting active material in contact with the conclue tor of the electrodes of an electric battery,

said plate having its body permeable to the electrolyte and pro-vided with perforated re-v cesses or'charnbers for the reception and retention of said act-ive material, and having its outer edge beveled and extended above the line ofthe recesses or chambers.

. 5. A storage battery composed of nonconducting` plates to which the active material is applied, conducting plates in contact with said active material, channels on theouter faces of the-plates, and keys in the channels of opposite plates. I. 6. A storage battery .composed of sectional porous non-conducting plates to the inner faces of which the active materialof the battery is applied, conducting plates in Contact with said active material, alined channels on the outer faces of the sections of opposite plates, a key inthe channels 'of opposite sections of opposite plates, and end supporting plates and bands to hold the sevconducting plates to which the active 'ma-A terial is applied, conduct-ors in contact with said active material, supports, and elastic cushions between the supports and' outer conductors.

" 9. A secondary battery composed of non-r conducting plates to which the active material of the battery is applied, conducting plates in contact with said active material, endplates, elastic cushions between the end plates and adjacent 'conducting plates,4

metallic bands to -hold the several parts as sembled, and wedges between the bands and end plates. v

10. A storage battery composed of porous non-conducting plates to the inner, faces ofI which the active 'material of the batterylis applied, conducting' plates' in contact with said active material, rigid end plates having corner charnfers, a cushion of elastic vulcanized rubber between each end plate and adjacent conductingv plate, metallic bands in the Corner charnfers of the end plates to` hold the several parts assembled. l

ll. A storage battery-consisting of ,compound electrodes composed' of porous/nonconducting plates to the inner faces of which the active material of the battery is applied and conducting plates -in contact with said active material,.the porous plates having ribs -on their outer faces to forni channels for the electrolyte, keys between the ribs of opposed plates, rigid end plates, a cushion of elastic vulcanized rubber between each end plate Vand adjacent conduct-f ing plate, and metallic bands to .hold the parts assembled.

19.. A storage battery consisting of coinpound electrodes composed of sectional porous noneconducting plat-esto the inner faces of which the active material of thebattery is applied and conducting plates in contacty with said active material, the pdr-ous plates having ribs on' their outer faces to form channels for the electrolyte, a key between the ribs of opposed sections of the plates,

rigid end plates having tapered corner chamfers, Aa cushion of elastic vulcanized rubber between each endplate and adjacent' conducting plate, and metallic bands inthe f chamfers lof the end assembled. ln testimony whereof I affix my signaturp in presence of two witnesses.

GUsfrAvUs J. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:` l i J. MoRoBnRrs, H. C. LUsT.

plate-s to hold the parts 

